Washington (CNN) - A CNN panel of political commentators see little chance for a grand bargain on the federal budget in 2014 but have some confidence for a deal on immigration reform.

"Maybe" was a common response on immigration reform's chances from a panel that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," comprised of CNN “Crossfire” co-host S.E. Cupp, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, Republican strategist Ana Navarro and Center for American Progress president & CEO Neera Tanden.

The year ahead will be largely defined by the year behind, the panel agreed, focusing primarily on the reception of Obamacare and lessons learned from the partial government shutdown in October.FULL POST

(CNN) - Long-term unemployment benefits for 1.3 million Americans expired Saturday after Congress failed to pass an extension. Reinstating those benefits is expected to be one of the first priorities for congressional Democrats in the new year.

“Extending unemployment insurance is the right thing to do for millions of Americans who are trying to support their families,” Democratic National Committee chairwoman and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement Saturday. “What makes matters worse, the loss of benefits comes just a few days after the holidays.”FULL POST

(CNN) - Like many conservatives, Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal was happy to find out Friday that “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson’s suspension from the show had been lifted.

“I am glad to hear that the folks at A&E came to their senses and recognized that tolerance of religious views is more important than political correctness,” the possible 2016 presidential candidate said in a statement mere hours after the network announced its decision.FULL POST

“Since taking office, I have repeatedly called upon the Congress to work with my Administration to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,” Obama said in a statement. “The continued operation of the facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists.”FULL POST

(CNN) - The liberal nonprofit group Americans United for Change is using a new TV ad to accuse Republicans of ruining Christmas for the 1.3 million Americans whose unemployment benefits are about to stop.

“To the 1.3 million Americans losing benefits, Merry Christmas, from the GOP,” the ad says. The spot will run Thursday and Friday on national cable TV networks, including CNN, the group said.FULL POST

(CNN) - The conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity is closing out the year with a pair of new ads targeting Democratic members of the House who voted for Obamacare.

Over $600,000 will be spent on spots airing in the districts of Richard Nolan of Minnesota and Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire, according to AFP. The new spots put AFP’s total Obamacare TV ad-spending for 2013 at roughly $16 million, money that comes in part from the billionaire Koch brothers.FULL POST

(CNN) – President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama celebrated Christmas in the President’s weekly address Wednesday, taking time in particular to thank the men and women of the U.S. military.

“For many of our troops and newest veterans, this might be the first time in years that they’ve been with their families on Christmas,” the President said. “In fact, with the Iraq war over and the transition in Afghanistan, fewer of our men and women in uniform are deployed in harm’s way than at any time in the last decade.”FULL POST

(CNN) – Chiara de Blasio, daughter of New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, has struggled with clinical depression and drug abuse, the 19-year-old revealed in a YouTube video posted Christmas Eve.

"I've had depression, like clinical depression, for my entire adolescence," de Blasio says in the video. "It made it easier, the more I drank and did drugs, to share some common ground with people that I wouldn't have. It didn't start out as a huge thing for me but then it became a really huge thing for me."